I needed to make sure that Alaska’s interests were represented.

My sincere hope is that this is not the final product.

I strongly support women’s reproductive freedoms, including the right to abortion established by Roe and Casey.

I had to look on balance, because the people in my state are the ones that I put first.

[L]et’s not kid ourselves. ... While we have worked to improve the present bill for Alaska, it is not good enough for the rest of our nation — and we all know it.

I struggled mightily with the impact on the most vulnerable in this country when you look to Medicaid and SNAP.

Do I like this bill? No.

We do not have a perfect bill by any stretch of the imagination. My hope is that the House is going to look at this and recognize that we’re not there yet.

You’re roadkill in the middle.

I have an obligation to the people of the state of Alaska, and I live up to that every single day.

My hope is that the House is gonna look at this and recognize that we’re not there yet.

I don’t actually want the version of the bill I voted for to become law, and I hope that the House undoes some of the damage in the bill that I and my fellow senators did.

Kill it and it’s gone.

It’s offensive to claim that federal dollars being sent to a state are considered a bailout.

Do I like this bill? No. Because I tried to take care of Alaska’s interest.

My response is I have an obligation to the people of the state of Alaska. And I live up to that every single day.

You can either say, ‘I don’t like it,’ and not try to help my state, or you can roll up your sleeves.

My hope is that the House is going to look at this and recognize that we’re not there yet.

That weighs very, very heavily, and so what I tried to do was to ensure that my colleagues understood what that means when you live in an area where there are no jobs.

We do not have a perfect bill by any stretch of the imagination.

Do I like this bill? No. In many parts of the country, there are Americans that are not going to be advantaged by this bill.

Did we make some changes in the SNAP provisions that will allow for a delay, that will allow for greater flexibility to the state? Absolutely.

I have made clear very early on that we cannot move forward with a bill that makes cuts to Medicaid.

Kill it and it's gone. There is a tax impact coming forward. That's gonna hurt the people in my state.

This is probably the most difficult and agonizing legislative 24-hour period that I have encountered.